Spain are through to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after dismantling Austria 3-0 in Inglewood, California — their first knockout-stage victory since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010. Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro underlined why La Roja remain among the favourites to go all the way in this tournament.
A group stage to forget
Spain's path to the knockout rounds was far from convincing. Reigning European champions, they drew 0-0 with Cape Verde, thrashed Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Atlanta, and edged Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara — a match that also brought an early setback, as Nico Williams limped off with an adductor injury.
Austria, meanwhile, made their return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Ralf Rangnick's side beat Jordan 3-1 in their opener, fell 2-0 to Argentina, and scraped through on a 3-3 draw with Algeria to reach the last 32.
Yamal shines despite injury crisis
Spain entered the match with a notable shortage of attacking options. Nico Williams, Yéremy Pino, and Víctor Muñoz were all sidelined, while Fermín López had succumbed to injury before the tournament even began. Yet Lamine Yamal delivered his finest showing of the competition on the right flank, making the absences feel almost irrelevant.
La Roja dominated from the first whistle. Marc Cucurella thought he had opened the scoring from a corner, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul. Seven minutes later, the lead arrived — Oyarzabal turning in a Cucurella cross to give Spain a well-deserved opener.
Porro heads home, Oyarzabal seals it
Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager kept the scoreline respectable in the first half, and Rangnick introduced two double substitutions — one at halftime and another at the hour-mark — in an effort to shift the contest. Marcel Sabitzer delivered a handful of incisive crosses, but Austria never truly threatened Unai Simón's goal, managing just 5 shots and none on target.
Spain's patience was rewarded in the 66th minute. Álex Baena, deputising for the injured Williams, whipped in a precise cross that Porro headed home to double the lead. Oyarzabal then put the contest to bed in the 89th minute, completing a 3-0 victory that was as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
A world record for Simón
Beyond the goals, Spain's defensive performance made headlines of its own. Simón surpassed Walter Zenga's record for the most consecutive minutes without conceding at a World Cup, extending his run to 519 minutes — a mark of the collective discipline La Roja have shown throughout the tournament.
